Q: What were you doing before you started The Well Woman and what inspired you to create it?

A: Before starting down this path I was a fashion fortune teller! Just kidding. But I was working in fashion direction doing trend forecasting at Holt Renfrew, a major Canadian luxury retailer. After that I was opening up retail spaces for a start-up. But before my foray into fashion I was studying food science and nutrition in university. When I graduated, the time didn’t feel right for me to enter the health world. I wasn’t compelled by the western teachings. I knew there was more to it but I didn’t have the hindsight to fully understand it then. I wanted different experiences to widen my worldview. Fashion taught me a great deal about culture, art, community, aesthetics, the world. I value my time spent here immensely as it shaped and defined who I’ve become today.

I started The Well Woman while in school. I was studying holistic nutrition in Toronto and was beginning to think about the ways in which to translate my knowledge, the information I was learning and my vision to others. I wanted to create a platform to share, inspire and educate women. It was December 2015, I remember being at my part-time job and I wasn’t sure what to call the website but it was all I could talk about. The idea of it anyway. At the time, I had a daily meditation practice going and the name just kind of landed during a meditation. That made the decision very clear. It’s not often that that happens so I unequivocally trust it when it does.

Q: What do you love most about the work you do ?

I feel deeply fulfilled by the work I do. In a way I’ve never experienced. I love that I get to effect positive change through food, whether it’s education relating to health and nutrition, helping a client change their diet or lifestyle or surprising people with how incredible plant food tastes. I love that I get to be social and work with people and that I can spend equal amounts of time creating in solitude. I could not have one without the other, both fill me and I would feel unbalanced without the other existing.

Q: What does self-care mean to you and how has this changed over time?

A: Right now, self-care is my inclination to go inward and take care of my mental, emotional, physical and energetic needs. The process involves listening to the signs my body is giving me. For me the essence of self-care hinges on my ability to slow down, accept the space I need, stay nourished (especially while busy) and to prioritize meditation. Although so many elements encompass self-care for me it boils down to food and meditation. I feel these are basic needs and if you start here your life and body will change.

I suppose this idea has changed over time because before I used to think self-care meant needing to own the right dry brush, taking supplements, tongue scraping, Epsom salt bathes, oil pulling… don’t get me wrong I LOVE doing all these things but more recently I’ve been conscious when speaking to self-care because I don’t want it to disenfranchise others. Not everyone can afford all the fancy self-care tools! You don’t need them all. It’s incredible if they are available to you, you are lucky if they are. But I believe when we boil it down to our basic needs, we need high quality food and we need clear minds and strong nervous systems (which can be achieved through meditation).

Q: What is your creative process like and how does it relate to your wellness practices?

A: My creative process involves solitude, time spent in nature and generally being in a state of ease. This can be having a morning to spend at my leisure where I am free to experiment in the kitchen and then snap some photographs. Or it can be a bike ride to the farmer’s market. A hike. Being near a body of water. A stimulating conversation. A palette. A shape. Looking at books from my favourite artists. I get inspired aesthetically in many different ways, even something as mundane as the light hitting a wall in a certain way, or an iridescent beetle in the grass. For me creativity comes from the space and time to put myself in the way of such beauty. It’s around us all the time but sometimes we’re too busy to notice.

I love to take photographs. I have been doing it since I was a kid. What does a 5th grader take photos of you ask? Sleepovers and too many aerial shots of friends jumping. All the rage.

I do also absolutely love collaborating with friends and get to do this often as well. In terms of relating it to my wellness practice, I communicate heavily with images and I relay that to the website all the time. My ideas for palettes, forms and any aesthetic inclinations also present themselves in the food I make, plate and serve forth.

Q: How do you nourish your creativity and stay inspired?

A: Kind of similar to the above answer. I just try to put myself in the way of beauty. The natural world inspires me in ways there are no words for. There is a vastness I can experience here, a force more powerful and impressive than all else. And one that dissipates any small and insignificant issues in my psyche. To paraphrase Alain De Botton, “Nature gradually releases the grip of our indignation, not through its sympathy but through its sublime indifference.”

I also am inspired by friends, peers and women.

Photo by Tonya Papanikolov

Q: What is your relationship like with food? Has this changed over time?

A: My relationship to food is a healthy one but it wasn’t always that way. The majority of my teens were spent with disordered eating habits. I had a serious health issue when I was 22 and that was a turning point when I knew I needed to change my lifestyle and eating habits. Now, I have the utmost respect for food. I understand that what I put in is what I get out. The foods we eat literally make up our brains, tissues, muscles, cells. The more I began to educate myself the easier it became to drop old habits.

All this to say, I’m not perfect by any means. I get busy and stressed and sometimes forget or don’t have time for lunch or snacks. This never feels great so I try and keep my blood sugar as consistent as possible.

Q: What are some tips or practices you use and recommend for strengthening intuition and self-trust?

A: Meditations that connect to your third eye and pituitary gland

Writing/journaling/making poetry

Singing loudly. It can be really helpful to hear your own voice powerfully

Age :) one of the best parts about getting older is the self-confidence and trust that comes along with experience

Setting boundaries

Saying no – to people, jobs and relationships that aren’t good for you

Speaking up, voicing your opinions

Surrounding yourself with strong role models and if you don’t have any reaching out and finding some

Q: What does the idea of conscious friendship mean to you?

A: It means having a relationship rooted in honesty and where open communication and listening are both supported and expected. It means elevating each other, trusting and being brave and courageous to stay open during the ups and downs. Oh, and being present and making quality time for one another.

A: I’ve been in school for the past year, so I’m just so excited to be spreading my wings, doing the work I love and collaborating on projects that inspire, uplift and make people healthier. Also excited to do some travelling and explore foods in different cultures and some plans for growth and expansion for The Well Woman.

If you haven't already by sure to head over to The Well Woman and follow her on instagram @thewellwoman_

Q: Can you tell us about what you were doing before you launched LITE+CYCLE and what inspired its creation?

A: I was working as a consultant doing packaging and branding design. I was also in the midst of exiting a business partnership in perfume company that I had started back in 2008.

Q: What does conscious commerce mean to you and how does LITE+CYCLE embody this ?

A: Conscious commerce to me means consuming with mindfulness. This translates to less impulse buying and more awareness of your alignment with a brand’s values. LITE+CYCLE values transparency, wellness, minimalism, clean living, simple elegant aesthetics, and the cycles of the natural world. We embody conscious commerce first and foremost by putting the customer first. We offer a scent experience that is one of (if not the only) the healthiest on the market. We also provide customers total visibility on what ingredients are in our products. We do not take advantage of the industry standard of using the word “fragrance” as a place holder for our scents. Instead we carefully list each ingredient. We create products that enhance a healthy and balanced life, because we really want the best for each and every one of you.

Photo by Rob Stark

Q: You mentioned to me that while people are now hyper aware of clean eating and clean beauty, they are still burning candles with harmful ingredients. Why do you think this blind spot exists ? How are your products different from others on the market ?

A: I love this question. I believe there are many reasons for this blind spot. Most of us, myself included, are doing the best we can to digest the rapid and overwhelming wellness information that is being exposed daily. That said, doing it all is not always possible, so we choose our battles (and our blind spots) - fragrance might be last on the list because, when our brains process fragrance it directly hits our memory bank creating wonderful nostalgia. This can make it hard to give up the scents we love.

Additionally, pure essential oil fragrances provide a lighter experience. Unlike synthetic and natural engineered fragrances, the scent is not manipulated to hang in the air. It simply is what it is, just like in nature.

I often relate the experience to food - it’s a bit like eating fresh light fare, as oppose to let’s say Fettuccine Alfredo! It might feel a tad unsatisfying at first, but once you make the transition you really feel the benefits and can’t imagine going back.

A couple things you might notice when you stop engaging with synthetic and natural engineered fragrances might be; less brain fog, no more itchy eyes and skin, allergies dissipate (maybe it isn’t pollen!), less headaches, and a general sense of endocrine balance.

Photo by Laura Austin

Q: What is your vision for the future of LITE+CYCLE ?

A: My visions are wide and clear, however I am currently living in the present moment.

Q: What have some of the biggest surprises or challenges you have encountered running your business ?

A: The biggest challenge I have encountered with my business has been reaching more people to educate them on the importance of fragrance and their health.

Q: What do you find to be the greatest rewards of being an entrepreneur ?

A: Having a platform to tell an important story and connecting with people all over the world who share my same passion for health, nature and great design has been my greatest reward.

Q: I know for me, as an artist my creative process has distinct rhythms. I am constantly absorbing inspiration from everywhere and then tend to percolate for some time before my ideas manifest into a specific project. What is your creative process like?

A: I am an observer just like you, however I am impulsive when it comes to a creative idea. I often need to get it out immediately once it comes into play. I think I suffer from inspiration overload regularly. ha!

Q: What does self-care mean to you and how has this changed over time ?

A: Self care means making sure my emotions are balanced, I am nourishing my creativity and making space to love the people in my life with full attention and presence. Over time this has changed from exterior stimulation to a greater focus on depth of spirit and heart. I also buy spiritual gangster tee-shirts once in a while :-)

Q: How do your self-care practices relate to your creative work and process ?

A: In my personal art work, the simple nature of expressing myself is caring for myself. In my creative work for LITE+CYCLE, I make it a point to not create products that are superfluous, but that truly have the potential to add value to people’s lives while considering universal health and heart.

Q: As a native New Yorker now living in Los Angeles, have you found that your environment influences the work you do ?

A: Yes. There is more physical space here which is wonderful for creating, and more sunny days for walking in contemplation. Both feed my creativity. I am more nourished here.

Q: Is there anything that I haven’t asked you that you would like to share ?

Q: You possess an unusual and inspiring amount of grace, ease and self-confidence. Are these intrinsic qualities of yours or something that you have had to work to cultivate?

A: Thank you, that’s so nice! I definitely do not always feel graceful or even confident. I think those are qualities that can be nurtured and grown over time. They’re all part of a daily practice and something I continue to work on.I truly believe that confidence comes from practicing self love, believing in your ideas, and pouring your heart into what you love. It comes naturally when what you are doing comes from the heart. People recognize it when they see you creating and doing something you are truly passionate about. Contributing what you love to the world enables everyone to see a part of you that is most true to your self.

Q: What does self-care mean to you and how has this changed over time?

A: To me, self-care is two things: a practice of rituals, and maintaining mindfulness. Rituals are routines with intention that make a priority out of actions and time for maintaining health—mentally, physically, and spiritually.For me, those rituals could be making coffee in the morning, going to a yoga class or taking a hot bath. I take most care of myself by doing things that make me happy and thinking about what I put in (and on) my body.These days, I try to focus on nourishing my mind. I love to read everything: books, magazines, blogs, listening to audio books and podcasts. Turning off my phone and taking an afternoon to go walk down and lay at the beach with a book or just relax is something that I try to do at least once a week. It’s probably my favorite thing to do.

Q: What are the greatest rewards and biggest challenges of the work you do as a model ?

A: The most rewarding parts of modeling are the lifestyle and flexibility it affords. I’ve been fortunate enough to live all over the world and travel for modeling. Just having gained that kind of success, as a model, feels rewarding—that it’s turned into a career, over time. I feel very lucky about that. It pays the bills and supports my life. I get to meet and work with so many amazing, talented and inspiring people daily. It’s a great job. That’s what it is to me.Being in the industry has also taught me so much about creating and starting a business. Working for so many different companies, I’ve been able to see the ins and outs and behind the scenes of growing and starting a business. Also being a part of a family—I’ve been with my agents at Wilhelmina for almost ten years now! I am so comfortable and close with them. I’m grateful to have been doing this long enough now that I have a good grasp on how the industry works. The main challenges for me are the expectations that people can place on you. People create judgment around the stigma of being a model. There’s judgment around what society or someone defines as beauty, and as a model, sometimes that judgment gets projected onto you.Like any industry, not every day is easy. But ultimately, work is work!

Q: How do you nourish your creativity?

A: Traveling! Being exposed to and observing new places, people, perspectives, and cultures always fills me with new ideas that continue to inspire. The same goes for reading.I think curiosity goes hand-in-hand with creativity. I’ve always been a curious person, and that drive to see and learn more definitely nourishes my creativity.

Q: Working full-time as a model and launching a new business, what practices do you rely on to stay grounded and energized?

A: I think community is important. Making dinner with friends, having tea http://www.hausofsages.com/rituals. Making time to give your mind rest.Hiking, yoga, acupuncture and meditation are also very good for giving the mind rest. I can feel a difference in the busy-ness of my thoughts when I don’t meditate.

Q: What does the perfect day look like to you?

Photo Courtesy of Ally

A: I'm pretty simple! Canyon Coffee to start my day (yes, we drink our coffee every day!), a hike or yoga, sunshine, sunset at the beach, home cooked meal and wine with friends, a movie in bed or in the theaters!

Photo Courtesy of Ally

Q: What does the idea of a conscious relationship mean to you ?

A: Respecting each other’s individuality, and that each person has their own path. Always holding space for your partner; to listen to them, for them to feel safe talking about any and everything, without any judgment. Supporting and loving them through their journey. And loving unconditionally.

Q: What are you most excited for in 2017 ?

A: Our trip to Japan next month! And more traveling for coffee! Watching our business grow and continuing to meet and collaborate with more amazing people we respect and admire.

Q: Is there anything that I haven’t asked you that you would like to share with us?

A: I guess I’d like to say I notice an emerging community of women entrepreneurs that I feel very proud to be a part of. Some of my closest friends are women business owners, and they inspired me, just as I’m sure other women inspired them, to take the leap into business. And not just business for business’ sake, but business rooted in passion. That’s what’s most inspiring. I think that in this political atmosphere, it’s important that we continue to push as women to become movers and shakers in society and stand for justice and equality.

Whether you are entertaining a raw food loving bunch or not, these high-vibe truffles are sure to be a crowd pleaser at your holiday gathering. I have been creating raw chocolate treats for many years now and this super simple to make treat has become my go-to for holiday gifting and entertaining.

Ingredients:

2 cups pitted dates soaked for half an hour in warm water

1 cup raw cacao

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon warm water

1 tablespoon Sun Potion He Shu Wu

1 tablespoon Sun Potion Pine Pollen

1 tablespoon Sun Potion Reishi

Approximately 2 tablespoons each of superfoods of your choice to coat the truffles in. I used crushed up freeze-dried raspberries, matcha powder, turmeric powder, hemp seeds, shredded coconut and bee pollen.

Process: Soak the dates for half an hour in warm water. Strain off the water and place dates in a food processor and process until you have a paste like consistency (about a minute). Add cacao powder, melted coconut oil, warm water, He Shu Wu, Pine Pollen, and Reishi and process until all the ingredients are incorporated (about 30 seconds). If the mixture is too crumbly to form balls, you can add more warm water. You want the mixture to stick together and also be moist enough for the superfoods to stick to them. Place your chosen superfoods in small dishes. In the palm of your hand roll the chocolate mixture into small balls. The size is up to you! I made them about the size of a cherry and got 22 of them. Now roll the balls in the dishes of superfoods until they are covered. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve them.

Nourished Journal. The aim of Nourished Journal is not only to create an inspiring publication, but also to be a platform for readers and contributors alike to share, learn and connect. The journal features interviews with inspiring individuals, uplifting and informative editorial, recipes, travel stories and practical information on health and wellbeing. We believe in taking a holistic view on life, which you will see reflected throughout the journal. Nourishedjournal.com

Canyon Coffee. Founded by Ally Walsh and Casey Wojtalewicz in 2016. This Guatemalan coffee hails from Cerro Lancandon Chochajau, a farm collective near the beautiful Lake Atitlán. The collective cultivates 81 acres and is contributed to by 27 different producers. When brewed, it has a remarkably smooth texture and light body, which pairs amazingly with its chocolate and almond notes! Canyoncoffee.co

The Art of Wellness. By Kristin Dahl and Stephanie Rice. Reclaim your vitality! The Art of Wellness is a foundational guide that will awaken you, educate you, and give you a deeper understanding of holistic health. It’s about creating wellness in all areas of your life and nourishing your body from the inside out. Dahlhousenutrition.com

A Beauty Collected by Rachel Garahan. A modern take on vintage botanical illustrations, A Beauty Collected combines intimate photography of over 100 found items from nature with educational prose and a kid-friendly glossary in the back. Organized by the alphabet (Aloe, Bones and Crystals, for example) the book aims to encourage mindfulness, curiosity about the world around us and to inspire people aged 1 - 101 to appreciate the beauty found in nature. Available on Amazon.com

New Moon Journal by Paula Mallis. This offering will provide a window into your own unfolding and guide you into sharing your joys and sorrows in a heartfelt, loving and compassionate circle of your own making. Each month on the New Moon is an opportunity to set intentions for the month or year ahead. This journal is a guide to supporting you in manifesting your heartfelt dreams. Paulamallis.com

Vidya Living Guided Meditations. A download of 3 guided meditations designed to support the nervous system, heal the digestion and counter the effects of daily stress and fatigue on the body and mind. In this audio pack, you’ll receive: 10-minute yoga nidra 20-minute yoga nidra 30-minute yoga nidra. Vidyaliving.com

A: For me when I make the effort each day to prepare healthy meals, use organic and Eco beauty practices, and nurture my body with meditation, yoga and positive thinking, then I feel my mind, body and spirit are well + balanced. It starts with a prayer and gratitude practice before my feet touch the ground in the morning. I consciously make the choice to live from a grateful heart and life seems to flow so much better for me when I take the time to do these daily wellness rituals.

Q: What does self-care mean to you and how has this changed or evolved over your life ?

A: The definition of self-care has changed dramatically for me over the years. Back in the day, that meant copious amounts of shopping and acquiring, “things.” Whether I felt I needed the newest MAC makeup release, or designer clothing or pretty much anything that I thought I “had” to have. I’ve learned that self-care is not about purchasing things. It’s about loving yourself enough to know that you deserve to put the time into yourself. For me that means kindness to myself. Stopping the inner mind chatter that can be so unproductive. I remind myself to meditate and savor the quiet. I like to spend time by myself enjoying simple rituals like making my afternoon tea and enjoying it with a walk through my garden. Little things really are the big things to me and they keep me grounded and feeling cared for.

Q: What have you learned about yourself through your experience dealing with several chronic illnesses?

A: I’ve learned that I’m not only a survivor, but I’m wellness warrior. Living with chronic illness can be draining emotionally, physically and spiritually. But I’ve learned to be grateful for the health that I do have. I’m much stronger than I ever imagined I could be. I have faith in the Universe and believe that I will be able to heal from the illnesses I have. It’s the belief and power of being hopeful for a cure that gives me peace and comfort when I’m having a tough day dealing with pain.

Q: How did you come to holistic health? What are some of the holistic healing modalities that have been most helpful to you on your journey?

A: My introduction to holistic health began when I discovered Natalia Rose. I read her book and that sparked my interest in the power of food and wellness practices for living a healthier lifestyle. Shortly after, I met up with her for a consultation. We instantly clicked and I became her assistant during her second book: Detox 4 Women. I also became a part of her Holistic Health Program called The Rose Program where I learned a great deal about detox and healthy living.

Q: I myself have dealt with anxiety from a very young age and very much admire your writing so honestly about your experiences of it. I can relate to the overwhelming and sometimes paralyzing feelings it can create. What are some tools and practices you utilize to work through your anxiety?

A: First of all, my heart goes out to you and anyone else suffering from anxiety. When those feelings come upon a person, it's not something to ever be ashamed of. Years ago when I began my blog, I started writing openly about the anxiety I periodically experienced. It was difficult for me to be so transparent with my readers. I was scared that people would judge me in a negative way. With so much talk about projecting confidence out into the world, and "fake it until you make it", I felt my feelings could be considered weakness or a character flaw. The more I researched about anxiety, and how common it is, I decided to open up the discussion. I started having people write to me and say that I helped them feel less alone and more hopeful. When I realized that I could have an influence in encouraging others to to be open and honest with what they were feeling, it helped my anxious thoughts transform into a cathartic healing experience for both parties.

I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since a young age and it progressed severely in my teens to the point where I was actually unable to leave my house without intense discomfort.. After working with a therapist to learn cognitive behavior practices I started to get my life back. All the experiences I went through and still struggle with, has only fueled my passion for learning more positive strategies for coping. I have done so much personal work over the years to help the feelings of anxiety. For me I've found that it goes hand in hand with my physical health conditions. It's like a vicious cycle that I am always trying to break. One of the hardest things is accepting that sometimes panic happens even for no reason at all. I've had panic attacks while simply brushing my teeth or calmly reading a book and out of nowhere it hits. Those moments are the scariest and I find it is best to not over analyze and wonder what the cause is, but to instead accept the uncomfortable feelings, breathe through it knowing it will eventually stop. It always does.

The most helpful tools for me have been to talk to someone who knows what you are going through. This can be anyone from a therapist to a friend, lover, family member or even a stranger. Once you have validation that those feelings are not something that you alone experience, you automatically feel a sense of relief. The second thing is to read and research as much about positive coping skills to help you get through a rough patch. I keep the book, "Hope and Help For Your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes with me at all times. I literally carry it in my purse and refer back to it when I start to feel panic heightening. As Dr. Weekes recommends in her book, "What you might have to learn is how to not get in your own way, how to simply let floating happen.". What she meant was to try and float through the feelings to regain a sense of calm and the fastest way to do that is to go along with the sensations of anxiety and panic, rather than to oppose them.

When you re-read passages in her book about the common symptoms most people experience, and then are reassured that it's all part of the process, and that it will stop has been nothing short of life changing for me. I also recommend essential oils, flower remedies and specific supplements like GABA, Magnesium, Potassium and L-Theanine because they have been extremely helpful for me. I practice meditation daily and I try to remind myself that "this too shall pass." Anxiety is something that I have struggled with and continue to do so, but with that said, I've learned a lot about myself and this condition and know that I'm just one of millions of people going through the same thing.

Q: You have written about the power of positive affirmations. Can you talk tell us about this and how it has impacted your life?

A: Trading negative thoughts for more empowering positive affirmations has been a daily meditative practice for me. When I first started, I was disappointed because I was hoping for a quick "fix" and thought it was going to be an easy and fast transformation. Personal thoughts and the language we repeat to ourselves needs to be uplifting, positive, loving and empowering. We forget how many negative subliminal messages we internalize in a day. I like to remind myself to be as kind to myself as I am to the people that I love and cherish. The word I focus on mostly is gratitude. Whenever I think about what I have working in my life, rather than what isn't working, it just feels better.

Q: What were you doing before your started Beauty By Britanie?

A: I was studying Psychology at a college in Massachusetts and part-time mentoring with, Natalia Rose, the Founder of The Rose Program. I became a Detox Counselor and contributed to her book, Detox 4 Women. I was also doing freelance photography and makeup artistry in my spare time.

Q: What inspired you to create it?

A: I have always enjoyed documenting my life and from a young age I always had a journal with me. I loved sharing my experiences and hearing about others experiences and having that connection with another person has always been so important to me. I was inspired to start my blog to connect with like-minded people and to be able to help others in any way possible.

Q: What have you learned from your success ?

A: I have learned that success does not come by way of numbers. You cannot measure your success by the amount of followers you have, or how many likes you get. It is so easy to get caught up in things like this with so many social media platforms but I have learned that for me, success is hearing from someone that I helped them to be able to open up to their family about their struggle with panic attacks and no longer feel ashamed. To hear that I made someone not feel so alone with what they are going through or that I helped someone want to change their way of living to a cleaner, more conscious way of life. Being able to reach and help another person is success to me.

Q: What are some of the most rewarding aspects of the work you do?

A: My favorite part is the like minded people that I have met and connected with over the years, many whom have become my greatest friends. The feedback from readers has enhanced my life so much when they write to let me know that I’ve motivated them to create healthier changes and upgrade their own wellness routines.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges?

A: One of the biggest challenges is finding balance. This is especially hard given my health challenges. I have a mind that wants to get every single thing done and a body that often does not want to cooperate so finding the balance between pushing myself but not to the point of overwhelming myself is a challenge that I am still learning. Another challenge in terms of trying out products is that there are so many new eco, organic green beauty brands being introduced to the market and it’s hard to test out everything myself. I’ve even broken out with eczema because I overwhelmed my skin by testing too many products at the same time! I am quite the sensitive one and have to be very careful and patient while testing products out. The upside to this is that it gives me ample time to REALLY be able to try out a product and know how it works.

Q: Working as a freelancer and running your own company how do you stay inspired, motivated and grounded?

A: My work is really not work at all to me. Writing about wellness and sharing musings about healthy holistic living is my passion. I get inspired by other writers and I’m forever learning from these intelligent authentic muses. My flower essences from Lotus Wei and Alexis Smart keep me grounded. My essential oil blends from Hope Gillerman keep me balanced and my beloved crystal collection for healing earth energy.

A: I’d have to say that Lacy Phillips, the Founder of: Free + Native: A Modern Guide for Holistic Living is my #1 resource for everything wellness. I also am a huge fan of reading The Chalkboard Mag and Well & Good. I’m an avid reader and love shopping on Amazon and reading reviews of books for holistic living. I can get stuck on there for hours.

Q: What is your vision for the future of Beauty by Britanie?

A: Oh, where to start! Well for my blog, I see it turning into something that is much broader than just "beauty". Although beauty is a huge part of what I do, I always meant for the word to be more than physical beauty. I plan to share more about my holistic wellness practices, more home inspired posts, I also have a vision of my own product line in the future. This has been something that I have been working on for years now and had a taste of success when I collaborated with Modern Minerals and Lotus Wei on a lip gloss and blush. I was able to help in the creation of these two products that were part of the Beauty by Britanie Bohemian Collection and it was such an inspiring time in my life! That experience made me realize how much I would love to share my own beauty, wellness and holistic products with the world. I'm always thinking, creating & concocting recipes. I'm proud to say that I've already come up with a few really great products, that I'll be sharing soon. I also see an online store opening for me in the future. I've also considered speaking publicly at events, to be able to share so much of what I've learned with others. Some of these visions scare the heck out of me and will push me way out of my comfort zone, but at the same time the ideas excite me and I believe we all have to work through our fears in order to REALLY get to where we want to be. I'd love to speak about my journey dealing with chronic health issues and how it has lead me to this path of clean living. I have MANY visions and am constantly manifesting and putting them out to the Universe to move them forward at the perfect time.

If you haven't already be sure to check out Britanie's site Beautybybritanie.com and find her on instagram at @britaniefaith

It has been many months since I have written anything here. I had not intended to let so much time elapse, but I felt a strong need to go inward and process. It has been a tough year. One of the toughest of my life. It has been filled with much sadness and yet also much hope, most significantly in the deepening of old relationships and the flourishing of new ones. I have been absolutely blown away at the response I have gotten to the things that I have posted here. Especially the love and support I received after posting my last piece in which I opened up about my father’s suicide attempt and my experience of processing it. My intention and hope with starting Pure + Wild Journal was to connect and build community and collaboration. I could never have imagined the depth of connection I would make through sharing my experiences, especially the difficult ones. The relationships and collaborations that have already come to life through this platform have been more nourishing and strengthening than I could have ever imagined. I cannot overstate my gratitude to all of you for that.

This year has been filled with facing difficult and heart-wrenching realities, many of which I had tried for years to avoid. This year I have spent much time learning to let go. I have attempted to give myself the time and space to fully allow my grieving process to unfold, even when it feels inconvenient, all-encompassing and never-ending. One of the big themes that I have returned to over and over again is my attempt to discern what I can change and what I should accept. One of the biggest revelations has been and I continue to set the intention to fully embody the notion, is that, while our families, biology and experiences certainly shape us, they do not define us or our capacities for change, growth, happiness and fulfillment. I have spent much time and energy grappling with the fear that my family lineage of anxiety and depression makes me biologically doomed. It has only been recently that I am coming to fully understand and grasp that anxiety and depression are not singularly biological OR situational. They can and usually are a complex combination of the two. For many years I thought “Well of course I have anxiety, everyone on both sides of my family has it, this is just part of who I am.”

However at some point I began to know, or maybe always knew in my heart, that that’s not the whole picture and it isn’t a life sentence. So I set out to find some answers, to “get to the bottom” of the source of my anxiety once and for all. In doing so I came up with some fascinating information and realizations. I delved into research on the topics of intergenerational trauma, anxiety and depression and neuroplasticity and mindfulness. This coupled with my work with a new therapist with whom I have been fully delving into my childhood in a way that I had never done before has been pivotal in my understanding of the roots of my anxiety and depression. It has been very eye-opening and filled me with much hope that I don’t have to be imprisoned by my biology or past experiences.

One of the most affirming and useful works I have come across is Donna Jackson Nakazawa’s book Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology and How You Can Heal. One of the points that I found most relevant to me was Nakazawa’s explanation of how childhood adversity and toxic unpredictable stress can actually wire a person, even one who was not genetically predisposed to anxiety, to have a heightened anxiety response. She explains that people who have experienced childhood adversity undergo an epigenetic shift in childhood, meaning that their stress-response genes are altered by those experiences. What was most eye-opening to me about this book was the way it described childhood adversity. In many ways I had a happy childhood. I grew up with an immediate and extended family who were exceptionally loving and supportive of me and all of my endeavors. I was not abused. So to me, while I knew much of my family’s dynamics were dysfunctional, I hadn’t thought of what I had experienced as trauma. Recognizing and accepting that growing up in a chaotic household with a chronically depressed father was in-fact traumatic has been a pivotal point in my healing process. Taking a big-picture view and considering how my parent’s experiences in their childhoods shaped the way that they parented me and my brother has also helped me understand how dysfunctional patterns get passed down from generation to generation. This has enabled me to be more compassionate towards them as well as being mindful of the things I would like to do differently when I am a parent.

As I have begun to peel back the layers of fear and anxiety and come face to face with the deep wells of sadness, disappointment and anger that reside beneath, which I have been carrying for so so long, I have found much hope and freedom. Without question, this has been the most difficult thing I have ever done. It has also been a huge relief and makes me optimistic that the past does not have to dictate the future.

“ ... nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we find the very same problem waiting for us when we arrive. It just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter...” Pema Chodron

This piece is something I've considered writing for the last few months, but was hesitant. Upon reflection on why, I realized that my hesitation to do so stemmed from my instinct to shy away from the dark, more difficult sides of life, and to focus on the positive. This is my mother’s delicate way of coping. I know from experience that my instinct to avoid pain and suffering only ultimately amplifies it and allows it to fester. This is my delicate dance: to hold space for grief and hope at the same time- something I work toward every day. My hope in sharing my whole story, the dark and painful alongside the hopeful is to inspire others to do the same.

In March I had the great pleasure of attending a workshop at Maha Rose in Brooklyn facilitated by Danielle Beinstein and Lacy Phillips. I had been a fan of Lacy’s exquisitely written and curated blog Free + Native for several years. Danielle’s work, I first discovered on Poppy + Seed last fall. I was getting ready to launch Pure + Wild and after reading a brave and articulate piece that Danielle wrote, I reached out and felt an immediate affinity. She had described growing up with a depressive mother and my father had suffered from debilitating anxiety and depression for as long as I could remember.

Watching my father suffer has been a constant in my life, so ingrained in my experience that it is hard for me to imagine life any other way. I haven’t shared this with many people, not even my closest friends until just recently. When I read Danielle’s piece tears ran down my face, it offered me so much comfort in recognition. I knew I had to share my story too. I knew that it was going to be a pivotal piece in my healing process and hoped it would inspire others to share and heal. When I attended the workshop Danielle read my chart. She told me that there was a shift going on and that the heaviness of my younger years was going to give way to more light and ease in my mid 30’s. I returned home with a great sense of hope.

Not quite two months later my father attempted suicide. By some miracle he was found and resuscitated. He was in intensive care for three days. The details of the situation are not what I want to focus on here, rather my experience and how I am attempting to transmute this sadness into grace. I want to examine how this pain is ultimately calling me to tap into an inner reservoir of self trust and hope, and find new ways to process my emotions and experiences.

I inherited many things from my dad: his curly black hair, his sense of humor, his creativity and his sadness. What has always set us apart is my propensity to dream, hope, even in the darkest of moments, heal and change.

For quite some time now I've been contemplating the notion of inherited emotions, specifically sadness. Through meditation, journaling and my work with an amazing therapist I have been observing and attempting to tease out the origins of my emotions, beliefs and behaviors. I have been considering the role of ancestry, the way our lineage shapes the people we become. The way in which some people are married to their suffering while others use it as a catalyst for transformation. I have been contemplating the question: what is it that makes some people able to overcome great adversity and thrive while others are crippled by it?

After my dad’s suicide attempt I found myself at an emotional cross-roads. I felt I knew only two ways of dealing with the sadness, those which I had learned from my parents. I could pull myself up and power forward. Or I could let the sadness in and possibly drown in it. But I asked myself, “ wasn't there another way ? A way of experiencing the full range of my emotions and not drowning in them ? ” What do you do when you haven't had this modeled for you ? How do you unlearn the programming and beliefs that you learned at a very young age? How do you discern which are your own emotions and beliefs and which are inherited ? Is it possible to have acceptance and change co-exist ?

As I've written about here, meditation is something that I had dabbled in over the years before truly surrendering myself to the practice a few years ago. In these past few months my practice has been one of the pillars in allowing me to face my pain without drowning in it. It has allowed me to create a container for my grief, rather than allowing it to encompass me entirely.

In my studies of various contemplative practices one of the concepts that is most helpful in facing my grief is the metaphor from Buddhist philosophy of the Buddha inviting Mara to tea. The night before his enlightenment the Buddha fought a battle with the Demon God Mara. Having failed, Mara left, however he continued to make unexpected appearances. Instead of ignoring Mara or attempting to drive him away the Buddha would acknowledge him, saying “ I see you Mara.” He would then invite him to tea and serve him as an honored guest. I love this metaphor of inviting your pain to tea. Doing so as part of my meditation practice is helping me to dissolve some of the fear I had carried of drowning in the sadness. The fear that at any moment I would be struck by the sadness that I had been trying for so long to avoid. One of the biggest shifts that I am experiencing from deepening my meditation practice is the way that I relate to my emotions, specifically the difficult and painful ones. For so long I had carried around this deep sadness, a unique and amorphous form of grief. The grief of a child watching helplessly as their parent suffers. The grief of a childhood overshadowed by seemingly infinite sadness and hopelessness. I had bottled it up, run a million miles an hour to avoid it. So much so that the fear of its appearance had become unbearable in and of itself.

My meditation practice is allowing me to begin to dismantle that fear, slowly, in a way that makes me feel brave enough to invite my pain into the light and face it. This is not to say that it is taking the pain and sadness away, rather it is taking away some of its power. It's softening it a bit. This in turn is strengthening my ability to sit with it, little by little. It is allowing me to acknowledge its presence. It is giving me the clarity to accept it and find the tools to transform it. It is helping me to open up to the full range of my emotions when what I want to do is shut down or numb out. Through this practice I have slowly started to untether myself from sadness am finding that in fact it is possible for acceptance and change to coexist.

Q: What does self-care mean to you? Has this changed over the course of your life?

A: For me, self-care is a practice of listening to my body / mind / spirit... and really just that - listening. Sometimes it requires patience and/or a little self- awareness in releasing judgement(s) and sometimes it is effortless (or super obvious ha!) but whatever the context is, for me it is all about listening and observing... keeping it as simple as possible while being open to your inner guides.

Q: How does your photography relate to your wellness practices?

A: Photography brings a sense of calm and focus to my spirit, which is invaluable to me. My inner world tends to be a bit cinematic, I love the visual dialogue and stream which pours through my experience of life andexperience a sense of deep contentment in nonverbal and sensory communication...

ALSO - insert background notes here - I inherited a little vintage minolta 35mm from my Grandfather (a very precious person in my life) and fooled around with it for a while, which was my first relationship to the medium. Then - later - in my graphic design work, I picked up digital photography out of necessity - I wanted to be able to communicate in a new and more dynamic / authentic way. I feel this was an important move for me, because as life unfolded, my photography became a practice which I could relate to in a more personal, intimate way, and simultaneously created a channel through which I had the potential to express and communicate with sincerity and vulnerability some of the more emotionally intricate and layered experiences that inevitably come, in a healthy and (possibly!) transcendent way. I am all about creative processes which enable growth and expansion.

Photo courtesy of Nitsa Citrine

Q: How much does your geographical and physical location impact or influence your experience of wellness?

A: I live in Santa Barbara - which is truly one of the most beautiful, peaceful and supportive places I have lived / visited. We have absolutely beautiful farmers markets year round, ocean, mountains, clean air, sunshine, conscious community....SO _ I feel very grateful to have a home here.

This being said, I do travel often. Mostly for work - which is also very much for pleasure - and I love this aspect of my life. Whenever I land in a new environment, I thrill in discovering the highest-vibe food, space, art, accommodations, nature's beauty (i.e. hot springs / mountains / gardens / wildlife/ desert landscape etc. ) ... feeling safe and immersed in a new geography is a fantastic sensation. Very inspiring. Very unifying.

Q: For me, I have found that my creativity has a distinct rhythm like the seasons or a gestation period. I have periods where I am gathering inspiration, processing and percolating followed by periods where my ideas and emotions manifest in the creation of art. What is your creative process like ?

A: I hermit and focus and obsess over a project while trying not to leave the house as much as possible... and then I go out and share. I am grateful to have flexibility in my schedule so I can honor these rhythms. Most of the time ;)

Q: What is your relationship to technology like and does it affect your art?

A: Haha…. Man. Technology (!!!) I have a love/hate but mostly grateful relationship to technology at this point. Five years ago my dream was to go completely off the grid and grow my own food, have a naturally built and solar home, and just a land line.... things have certainly shifted since then! These days I hope to find balance between the digital and natural world... to integrate both in an organic, sensitive and harmonious way of of life (still, a work in progress!)

Photo courtesy of Nitsa Citrine

Q: The art world can be very competitive and at times superficial. How do you navigate this and maintain your authenticity?

A: Honestly, I am not super familiar with the "Art World" per say... I think I tend to gravitate towards work and artists that resonate on both an energetic and aesthetic level.... and so the authenticity is intrinsic to that. Some of my friends are insanely talentedand I love to collaborate and celebrate them (and maybe take some of their work home, if I can afford it!) it is a very loving and inspiring frequency to be in.

Q: With the demands of your role as creative director of Sun Potion how do you find the time and energy to create a space to be in your own energetic field and create your art?

A: Hmm… great question. I am at this amazing point in my life right now, where these different worlds - Sun Potion, Wellness, Design, Photography, Art, etc. - are kind of all intersecting... There is a beautiful momentum with the company that keeps me extremely busy, and by grace I am still able to connect and work with creatives who both appreciate the foods and my own style.... Of course, I am still in the process of refining my delegation skills (because you reach a point where you simply can no do everything yourself) and this is a potent lesson for me right now as a bit of a perfectionist / control freak (eek!) and so Iam actively setting up structures where I can responsibly and intelligently tend to the evolving needs of the company while creating more time and freedom for artistic expression... I am so blessed to have a partner like Scott who is basically a business genius and who handles so much of the technical aspect of the company, amongst many things.... and who understands how important my creative practice is to my sense of wellbeing... even if I come across as an eccentric slightly impossibleartist at times, he honors it and I am so grateful for that support.

You can see more of Nitsa's gorgeous photography on her site. Try some of Sun Potions amazing products here. And be sure to follow her on instagram @nitsacitrine

Even though it was a relatively short and unseasonably warm winter here on the east coast, it was a tough one for me and many of the people around me. I couldn’t be more ready for spring and the literal and symbolic renewal and new beginnings coming forth.

Because of work and some things that were going on with my family, I spent the winter in my home-town of Cambridge Massachusetts, where I haven’t lived since I left for college at seventeen. It was an intense winter, full of introspection, challenging myself in my work and on a personal level. Being re-enmeshed with my family, living in my childhood home after so many years on my own, forced me to examine myself and my lineage in a way that I hadn’t done before. To examine the narrative of my life and face difficult emotions from the past.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of acceptance and change, two entities that I had previously thought to be mutually exclusive. When I was younger I always thought of acceptance as being synonymous with defeat and resignation. It seemed the polar opposite of ambition and optimism. The people around me that I least wanted to be like, seemed to have accepted their limitations and situations in life and were defeated by them. The people who I did want want to be like, it appeared to me, were optimistic, ambitious and had overcome hardships and had achieved happiness and success. I have always been ambitious and optimistic, able to see some glimmer of light even in the darkest of moments. For much of my life, I powered through tough situations with sheer will power, refusing to be restrained or slowed down by fear or past pain and disappointments. I was constantly doing and achieving. Always looking on “ the bright side” never willing to look too closely at the dark side. I was fearless in venturing out in the world, traveling on my own, taking on challenging projects, pushing myself. Where my fear lay, was with venturing too far inward, into the past or into my own well of emotions. I was always looking to the future, never able to stay present in the moment.

Friends, family members and even therapists encouraged me to fight back against my anxiety, not to dwell on the past and again keep my chin up and look on the bright side. But my instincts told me that there was something to be learned from my past. That if I had the courage to stop trudging onward and truly look at my past and my emotions, even the difficult ones, there was much to be learned. I knew, that while this would be difficult, that by doing so, there would in fact, be more hope of change in the future. The analogy that keeps arising for me is that by only looking to the future, it is like cutting weeds and being surprised every time they grow back, rather than pulling them out at the root. I chose to go to the roots. Rather than fighting back against my anxiety I chose to befriend it. By tapping into a deep reservoir of self- trust I was able to get up the courage to ask what was underneath it, where it was coming from and what it was trying to tell me. I asked how much of my anxiety and sadness and fear was even really my own and how much of these emotions were inherited or being absorbed from others. This process of befriending my anxiety, and shedding light on the dark places, has loosened the grip they hold on me immensely. It is making it easier to sit with my emotions and be present in the moment. With the spring equinox I have felt a shift in my internal energy and the energy around me. As I shed the layers of winter and the past I feel ready for new beginnings.

Q: You changed professions from working in the fashion industry to working as a healer. Can you tell us about what influenced this change of course?

A: I was losing it. I had the first and only panic attack of my life after months of being worked to the bone. The environment where I was working was not conducive to being a human being. I was exhausted and uninspired. Many circumstances aligned to show me that how I was spending my time needed to change. I had two big wakeup calls when I realized how my profession was affecting my health and after Hurricane Katrina when I realized how ridiculous it was to be pushing $10,000 handbags when there were people struggling to survive.

It still took me about six months of praying and asking the Universe to help me find a new direction before the idea of acupuncture school landed in my path.

Q: What was initially appealing to you about working in the fashion industry?

A: I have always loved clothes as a channel for personal expression. I would pour over all the September issues as a teenager to plan how to spend my back to school allowance. I grew up in the Northwest-the land of performance fabrics-so there wasn’t a lot of inspired style around me. The fashion industry felt glamorous, shiny, seductive, and beautiful. There is a cool factor and exclusivity that is connected to it that bolstered my identity before I decided to define myself on different terms.

Q: Are there any elements of your interest in fashion and your passion for healing that are similar or relate to one another?

A: Definitely. I worked for two luxury brands and what I loved about them was the lineage of the craftsmanship. There are people who make lace by hand or do beadwork or make hats and these skills have been passed down from generation to generation. There is something very romantic and deeply intentional about a skill that has been survived and been gifted down the line. Chinese medicine, Reiki and Breathwork all have these deep lineages and have been around for thousands of years. I love the richness of a time-honored tradition.

Q: I know for me, working in industries that didn’t suit or fulfill me, helped direct my path to outlets that were ultimately more satisfying for me. Do you feel that your experience of getting burnt out in the fashion industry helped guide you to healing?

A: We don’t usually make big moves until we are pushed to our limit. I wasn’t seeking healing when I realized that I couldn’t stand what I was doing with my life. I knew that I felt unhealthy and exhausted but all I knew was that I wanted to do something more fulfilling. If I hadn’t been so deeply dissatisfied I probably wouldn’t have swung as far in the opposite direction as I did. I also feel that there was a karmic path that I reconnected to when I found healing work. I had gotten off track in my pursuit of bright and shiny things that only made my ego happy and had to find my way back to a place of service that fueled my inner growth.

Q: Your mission is to help people heal their relationship with themselves. Can you describe your practice and how you use different healing modalities?

A: We always begin with therapeutic conversation. There is so much healing in being able to tell the story of your life, your pain, and your struggles to someone who is actively and compassionately hearing you without judgment. I create a shame free, sacred space where someone can be witnessed for the totality of who they are. One of the main things that I do in helping someone change their relationship with themselves is to empower the narrative of their life, acknowledging the hardships but helping them to find the gifts and the growth in the experience. There are so many highly sensitive, intelligent women out there that have been existing in a culture that doesn’t value their superpowers and as a result, have molded themselves to fit into a box that doesn’t work. I encourage people to build a life that works for them and honor their uniqueness. Then we integrate the learning and re-patterning into the body with energy work.

Q: How does your practice of helping others explore themselves and heal influence your own process of self-exploration and healing?

A: Everything that I’m healing personally and learning about myself gets channeled into what I’m bringing into my practice. Whatever I’m going through-whether I’m working with sobriety or anxiety or creative expression-I attract people into my practice that want to work on the same things. We are all energetic magnets for each other like that. It’s the coolest thing. Like attracts like. I am always in a place of questioning myself, refining myself, and looking inside to see how I can become more of who I am. Every time I experience something that blows my mind, I want to learn that thing and share it with other people. A lot of my group work and my writing is me story telling about my life and my process. The more I heal, the more tools wind up in my bag of tricks and the more experience I have in being a human being that thrives in the world. All I can do is light the way by example and show people that it’s possible to create the world you want to live in and enjoy your life.

Q: As an empathic person and healer how do you protect or maintain your own energy?

A: Really good boundaries and clear intentions. The idea of having to protect your energy feels disempowering to me. Unless you are doing really high-level spiritual work and coming into contact with entities and dark energy, you really don’t have to combat energetic attack. Being grounded, well-rested, well-fed, conscious and present go a long way in not getting sideswiped by someone else’s energy. As far as my work goes, I love and am present with whoever is in front of me at the time but when the session is done, it’s done. I don’t obsess over other people’s problems or worry about that on my personal time. A lot of sensitive, empathic people run other people’s energy as a way of connecting with them or helping them. I did that for a lot of my life before I realized that it was hurting me and not actually helping them. I work with groups of people that are releasing a lot of pain and rage. I just smile as they do it because it’s awesome to witness their vulnerability but I don’t ride the wave of their feelings. Also, lots of Palo Santo and sage and calling in my guides to surround and support.

Q: What are some of the biggest shifts you have experienced in your relationship with yourself since you embarked on your path as a healer?

A: Oh god, so many! I’m my biggest experiment. Everything that I go through feeds my practice and gives me more tools to work with. One of the biggest shifts was moving from being a person who had a lot of shame around her sensitivity to being in full acceptance of all of my emotional expressions. I don’t feel bad on top of feeling bad anymore. I just feel. That was a huge healing for me with myself. Through doing group Breathwork sessions I’ve let go of my insecurity about being seen and acknowledged for who I am and what I know. I am a shy person and definitely an introvert. It was a beautiful learning for me that I can be that but I can also be someone who is a powerful and comfortable public person.

Q: Self-exploration can be a scary and daunting process! What are some tools you recommend to people to stay open and continue the healing process if they are coming up against fear or resistance?

A: Self-compassion. Treat yourself and speak to yourself as if you were a child-with complete tenderness and care. Would you tell a sleepy, hungry five year old to suck it up and try harder? No, you would give them a healthy snack, read them a story and let them take a nap. Fear, resistance, massive anxiety and upheaval are part of the deal of the healing process. If you can accept that going in, it’s going to be a lot easier to hold your hand to the fire when you know you need to and back off when you need a break. Usually when we are exploring ourselves, we are encountering all of the parts of self that we have labeled as unlovable and tucked away. Witnessing your shadow and loving yourself through it is the work of becoming a whole human being. It’s definitely not a joy ride but it’s the best work you’ll ever do!

Q: Living in New York City how do you find ways to cultivate quiet so that you can listen to yourself?

A: I totally abstain from the crazy that is New York. I live in my favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. It’s a block away from a huge park and a weekly farmers market where I can compost my food and shop from local vendors. Other than traveling to my office during the week, I only go into Manhattan when I have to. I have a really mellow life so as long as I keep my technology addictions in check; I have plenty of internal quiet.

Q: You have written about the phenomenon of the re-emergence of the Divine Feminine. Can you talk a little bit about this and why you think it’s happening at this time?

A: Everything is happening right now! We are going through so many huge shifts connected to “the way things are” that everything is on the table. Race, sex, gender, pay inequality, everything that has been buried is now part of the conversation. We’ve spent centuries in a patriarchal masculine paradigm and it’s become explicitly clear that this is negatively impacting the planet, our resources, and our entire culture. Something needs to shift and rebalance itself. It’s finally time because we are at a breaking point with the way things have been and we can’t deny that they aren’t working anymore.

Q: Who are some teachers or mentors that have influenced you?

A: My Breathwork teacher David Elliott has been a huge part of my personal and professional evolution. He is a great example of evolved masculine energy and that was something I was really craving in my life. He has encouraged me to show more of myself, to start singing, to start teaching and to really stretch myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. Jill Blakeway is not a formal mentor of mine but she is an author and prolific acupuncturist. She is beyond busy in her career but she was very generous when I was just starting mine and continues to be there to offer perfect gems of advice whenever I need help. She really modeled for me what it means to pay forward your success and your wisdom.

Q: Who are some women in the wellness world who you find inspiring?

A: I have two dear friends that I am currently hugely inspired by. Both of them are in the wellness category because they help soothe my spirit. Sandy Sitron is an evolutionary astrologer. I have very strong opinions about things and Sandy always pushes back on me with these incredible insights that my brain would never have even considered. Her astrology is shamanic and intuitive in nature and helps me make sense of the world. My friend Lindsay Mack is a tarot reader, teacher, healer and intuitive. Her writing is out of this world. So earthy and true and from the heart. My writing is clearer and more inspired because of her. Plus, she’s just really damn good at what she does.

Q: What is something that you haven’t done yet that you want to do?

A: I’m fantasizing right now about abandoning convention completely and living off the grid in Joshua Tree. No wi-fi life sounds so good!

If you are in New York you can schedule a session with Erin She also does group beathwork at Maha Rose AND she does Breathwork sessions over skype! You can find her gorgeous writing on her blog. She is also a contributor to Live the Process and The Numinous, among other publications.

Self-love emotion potion; aphrodisiac hotline to your heart… This V-Day, S E L F-love is so in- so drink up & be good to yourself.

Set some self-love intentions & sip, sip, sip.

Ingredients

1 T sherry wine vinegar

1 T goji berries

1 T loose-leaf yerba mate tea

3 blood oranges juiced, save one peel for garnish

3 drops organic neroli orange essential oil

1 oz rose water or ¼ cup Mei gui hua aka baby rose petals

Method

Gently muddle goji berries into sherry wine vinegar. Set aside and allow goji berries to absorb vinegar. Once absorbed, place what will now be a paste-like mixture into the bottom of a glass.

Steep yerba mate tea in 3 oz of water for 15 minutes, pour over ice and stir in juice of 3 blood oranges and rose water. If using rose petals, steep with tea. Strain mixture over goji paste into glass.

Add 3 drops neroli orange essential oil & garnish with orange peel.

Drink up.

Brain//body benefits

A 2012 study published by the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that neroli helped drop blood pressure while balancing 24-hour cortisol rhythms.

Rose oil can help build self-confidence and relaxation and has been shown in studies to help women achieve orgasm by alleviating mental stress.

Antioxidants in goji improve mood, stamina and testosterone in both women and men.

Yerba Mate has the strength of coffee and offers the same euphoric effects as chocolate.

Christine Dionese is an integrative health & food therapy specialist, medical & food journalist. She is the co-founder of the modern organic lifestyle blog Garden Eats. Taste one of her latest concoctions on Instagram and watch for the launch of her new food therapy biz launching this spring. Photo by Sean Cassidy.

Whether you are single or attached this Valentine’s Day these two raw chocolate recipes are sure to elevate your mood and help open your heart.

Cacao was first known to be used as a health elixir and ceremonial medicine around 1900 bc by the Olmec people, the ancestors of Central America. The Aztecs called cacao yollotl eztli which translates to “ heart blood.” In 1754 Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus named the species of tree that cacao fruit grow on Theobroma cacao or “Cacao, food of the gods.”

Cacao supports the heart in literal, metaphysical and spiritual ways. Raw cacao contains phenylethylamine, which we produce in our bodies when we fall in love. It also contains anandamide, a cannabinoid endorphin that the human body naturally produces after exercising, known as the “bliss chemical.” Anandamide is only found in one plant: cacao.

Cacao also contains a significant amount of the essential amino acid tryptophan, a powerful mood-enhancing nutrient, which is critical for the production of serotonin our primary neurotransmitter. Serotonin diminishes anxiety and improves our capacity to deal with physical and emotional stress.

Coconut oil, which is the most nutrient dense part of the coconut, has long been recognized in Ayurvedic tradition for it’s health and healing properties. Coconut oil is composed of medium-chain fatty acids, which makes it easy to digest and is therefore more easily absorbed by the body. Because medium-chain fatty acids do not require bile acids for digestion, they are sent directly to the liver where they are converted to pure energy.

Coconut butter is made by grinding coconut flakes. It provides healthy fat and fiber.

Honey, which is rich in vitamin C and calcium is one of the oldest sweeteners on earth. It is easily digested and assimilated.

Maple syrup, is high in antioxidants and zinc, making it a heart-healthy sweetener. Research shows that it may also help maintain male reproductive health.

Mucuna Pruriens contains L-dopa, a naturally occurring amino acid which transforms into the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. It is known to lift the mood, soothe the nervous system and enhance sexual function.

Pine Pollen is a longevity tonic and potent aphrodisiac. It enters all five meridians and offers dual- directional hormone support in both men and women.

Ashwagandha, sometimes referred to as “ Indian ginseng,” is a vital herb in Ayurvedic medicine. It is reputed to tonify the immune system, inspire vigor and strength, and harmonize mind, body and spirit.

Rosewater and rose petals, open the heart and promote feelings of wellbeing.

Calendula gets its gorgeous orange color from beta-carotene. It also contains oils known to stimulate the immune system. As well as high levels of flavonoids, which act as antioxidants in the body.

Rosehips are the fruit of the rose. Because of their high vitamin C content and a variety of antioxidants they are a great immune booster.

Q: Your open heart elixir is very alluring! Can you tell us about the properties of the elixir and how you recommend using it?

A: Sure! So basically, when we talk about "keeping our heart open," we are talking about staying positive, receptive, and in love with everything around us. The Open Heart Elixir is an herbal syrup comprised of herbs traditionally used for grief and healing the heart, combined with rose quartz and hematite. Rose quartz is an excellent stone for the heart, for self love, for acceptance, for loving others. Hematite provides a grounding and nurturing element, like a mother's hug. You can either take this syrup as you need it i.e. going through heartbreak, needing to let go, or you can take about a teaspoon daily. You can also use it culinarily, for creating Open Heart cocktails, or Open Heart yogurt even.

Q: What does holistic wellness mean to you and what are some of your self-care rituals that you practice?

A: I feel like holistic wellness means being mindful with your decision-making in every facet of your life. What you eat, what you put on your skin, what you put on your body, what you put in your mind. It's a way of living, understanding that all these parts make up the whole. That being said, my self-care rituals are all of these different things. I keep a list of things that mean a lot to me & make my life better, so that I can try to incorporate them into my daily practice of life. Things like incense, smudging, music, yoga, healthy foods, vibing with stones. I try not to over-work, which is a big deal for most young entrepreneurs. I try to set a lot of boundaries, and create plenty of time for rest and being with my loved ones.

Q: What were you doing before you started Wooden Spoon? What inspired you to create it?

A: Before Wooden Spoon Herbs, I went to college for journalism and worked a series of jobs in small local restaurants, which focused on well-crafted, local, nutrient-dense foods. I also worked at a health food store, where I was introduced to the world of herbs. It was working at a local farm-to-table (hi Farmer's Daughter Cafe!) that I was really inspired and pushed to create my business. One day I made a cup of black tea, and had some potted bee balm blooming on my front porch. I plopped a bloom into my tea and forgot about it. When I went to drink my tea, I realized it tasted exactly like Earl Grey! This was actually what inspired me to start this business. I saw that I could grow herbs and use them to create new and diverse flavor profiles, while sneaking powerful medicines into unsuspecting, or uninterested, demographics. So, this combined with the opportunity to create teas for The Farmer's Daughter cafe began my business journey.

Q: Have you always been interested in herbalism and wellness? Where did you get all of your knowledge?

A: I have always been interested in plants and animals, conservation, exploring, resourcefulness, and not being humancentric. In terms of my herbal practice, I am self-taught. Well, I am book-taught. This year I begin a three-year study with Phyllis Light, who is an amazing Southern herbalist. I feel like this is going to change everything.

Q: Can you recommend some books on herbalism for people interested in learning more?

Q: There has been a shift recently in mainstream medicine and health to more holistic healing practices and belief in natural remedies. What do you think is influencing this shift?

A: I think what we need to realize is that the shift away from all of this has been so short. I think the effects of industrialization and pharmaceuticals are convincing people that unnatural things have ugly unintended consequences. I think there are also waves of influence that holistic healing has, and that we are seeing an upsurge because of that, honestly. These people and modalities of healing are always out there. Things like the Internet make it easier to connect and get the support and community we need. Where I live, there isn't a huge herbal community. But via the Internet, I know I have a place.

Q: What is your creation process like? Where do you get your inspiration?

A: Typically, since I make medicines from what is growing around me, I will start by taking note of what's ready to harvest around the same time, and see how those all work together. For example, elderberries and sumac ripen at the same time, and also happen to have complementary properties that are good for remedying colds and flus. So this directs my creative process. Other times, I come up with formulas and then wait until those plants are ready to be harvested. Then, I do some R&D and lastly come up with a beautiful label. This year I have hired a graphic designer, which I am super stoked about because while I love creating plant medicines, that is my art. I am not a visual artist. But I want my products to be beautiful and top-notch inside and out.I am inspired by all kinds of things. Seasons, colors, breezes, places. I am hugely inspired by older herbal recipes and herbalist elders. My herbal peers inspire me a lot too!

Q:What plans do you have for the future of wooden spoon?

A: My plans are to keep deepening my connection with my plant friends. This year I am really trying to dial in my offerings, teach a lot of workshops, deepen my knowledge by learning with Phyllis, and expand into more retail outlets. Eventually I want Wooden Spoon Herbs to be self-supporting so that I can have more time to see clients one-on-one.

Over the last few years I have been spending more and more of my time and energy identifying and exploring what my true passions and values are. I have had to tease out other people’s values and expectations of me. In the process I have examined my own expectations and standards of myself as well. As I get clarity on my values, I move my life, in all aspects, into alignment with them. I have come to view my life as a process, one that takes constant observation, reflection and refinement. This has been a layered process of distilling the essential elements in myself and my life and choosing to re-orient my focus and energies.

The first step of this journey was the most treacherous. I made the conscious decision to make it a priority to listen to, acknowledge and attempt to accept my desires and emotions on a deeper level than I had in the past. This began with the simple act of asking myself how I feel in a given situation, not what I think about it. Adjusting my focus from my intellect to accepting and trusting my emotions and instincts has been a massive shift for me. Since childhood I had protected myself from painful emotions by operating from an intellect based standpoint: studying, analyzing doing and achieving. As I dismantle these barriers I had built and shift my orientation to the emotional facets of my being, at times I feel engulfed by the floodgates of emotions I had been protecting myself against for so long. At moments it is excruciatingly painful. But it's also deeply liberating. It's been and continues to be a journey or excavation of sorts. One of rediscovering my true self beneath the barriers and survival mechanisms that I had been operating under for so much of my life. By building walls to protect myself from feelings of sadness and grief, I was also keeping out love.

My process of establishing what I truly value and desire started by first finding out what I did not want or more specifically how I did not want to feel. Before I was able to clearly see and call in what I do want I had to assess what wasn’t working for me in my current situation and remove those elements to the best of my ability. And then take a leap of faith. I was living in a city I had fallen out of love with. I was working jobs that held no meaning for me. I was surrounding myself with friends who were either viciously competitive and unempathic or so stuck in their own lives that they were limiting my growth and forward motion. I was worrying about everyone's feelings but my own. I had stopped doing anything creative. I was on the fast track to a life I once thought I wanted but that was not serving me on a deep level.

Somewhere deep beneath the fear and external noise, there was a voice longing to be heard. It told me that it wasn't too late to change course. So I began looking at the different areas of my life and observing how they were interconnected and affecting one another. I considered how I wanted to feel, who I wanted to be and what was standing in my way.

Relationships

I began to observe and evaluate each of my friendships and asking myself what I was gaining by having each of these people in my life. In certain cases I realized that the person was a source of comfort because they were living an unfulfilling life themselves and in turn weren’t challenging me to expand or make changes that would make me happier. I was keeping them in my life as a distraction. They were draining my energy, giving me excuses not to make changes in my life and re-enforcing my limiting beliefs. In other cases they were constant sources of drama, again providing me with a distraction from my true desires and making changes.

Career

I have always been highly motivated and ambitious, making many sacrifices to achieve my career goals. I began studying photography and art history my sophomore year of high school, committing myself to them completely. I worked tirelessly through art school and then in the commercial photography industry in New York. I then worked for several years in the food industry. My feelings of boredom and lack of deep fulfillment made it very clear to me that the sacrifices I was making to achieve goals I had set which were making me “successful” on the outside were not yielding true or deep success. I was working my ass off to support a lifestyle that I no longer wanted. I realized that I was perpetually exhausted and the sacrifice only seemed to get greater while the ultimate pay off felt less and less. I didn't feel I was contributing the world in any meaningful way. I was chasing goals that once I achieved left me feeling empty. I realized that in order to find true success in a meaningful sense I was going to let go of my outdated expectations and goals for myself and carve out my own path.

Health

I was drinking green juices and eating a mostly vegetarian diet. I was exercising religiously and physically was in the best shape of my life. I was reading tons of books on wellness but I didn't feel well. Not at all. My anxiety was manifesting in headaches and constant stomach aches. I knew I needed to listen to what my body was trying to tell me before these mild symptoms turned into something more serious.

On reflection I saw that by keeping myself in a constant state of overwhelm I was distracting myself from my true emotions, desires, passions and dreams. I was doing so by pouring myself into demanding jobs, spending time with friends who weren't challenging me and with the frenetic energy of city life. By subscribing to a paradigm that was not serving my higher good. I was in a constant state of doing and achieving. This had enabled me to neglect my inner voice which had been screaming for me to stop and just be. Fueled by stress, fear, anxiety and too much coffee I managed to suppress my feelings for years. Until I made the conscious choice to stop. I left New York City. I stopped spending time with people who were limiting my forward motion. I stopped denying myself. I experienced a full on paradigm shift.

By first identifying the factors in my life that were keeping me overwhelmed, distracted and dissatisfied I have been able to see more clearly what I do want in my life. I want to feel free, passionate and engaged. I want to spend my time and energy on relationships with people who are honoring themselves and are showing themselves and the world around them compassion. I want to work hard and make a meaningful contribution to the world around me.

In this pursuit I began setting boundaries to conserve my energy. I gave myself the time and space to explore what I am passionate about. I started meditating and journaling. I began working on being more comfortable with quiet and stillness. I began devouring books about spirituality, consciousness, psychology and holistic healing. I found friends who shared my values and passions. I returned to making art again for the first time in ten years. I began experiencing and honoring my emotions and letting them factor into my decisions.

This process of establishing the essential has been about making choices and creating a life by design rather by default. It means choosing not to spend my energies on activities and relationships that don't serve me so that I can keep the time and space open for those which do. It has been a process of minimizing and expansion at the same time. Minimizing the extraneous stuff: stress, things, limiting beliefs, relationships that were not serving me. The expansion of self-discovery, curiosity, vulnerability, love and compassion. Often when we think of minimalism or the act of minimizing, we think of deprivation, lack or constraint- living without. The flip side of that coin is that by removing what is not valued or necessary in our lives we are able to see and experience what is valuable to us and in turn we get more of what we want.

For me this process is an intricate and delicate one of peeling back layers of emotions, learned behaviors and beliefs. Of striping away the superfluous elements in my life in order to focus on the elements that deeply matter to me. Of speaking my truth even when it is uncomfortable to do so. At times the process reaps immediate rewards and I experience radical shifts. At other moments it's awkward and uncomfortable, sometimes almost unbearable. I am learning to honor my process. For the next leg of my journey I am setting the intention to learn to ride the waves of my emotions and desires, rather than shut them out or be swept away with them.

Coriander is bright and citrusy, warm with subtle floral notes. Ancient Sanskrit texts, Egyptian papyrus records and the bible all mention coriander. Coriander seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs of the 21st Dynasty as a symbol of eternal love. This citrus based drink infused with a subtle coriander-honey syrup is the perfect way to show yourself some love this winter season.

RECIPE:

2 cara cara oranges

1 meyer lemon

2 tablespoons coriander-honey syrup or to taste

seltzer

Coriander-honey Syrup:

1 cup of water

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

Grind the coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the honey, stir until it dissolves. Now add the ground coriander and continue to cook for a minute. Remove the pot from the heat and strain out the coriander. The syrup will keep in a glass jar or bottle in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Juice the citrus. Combine with two tablespoons of the coriander-honey syrup and top with seltzer.

These simple to make love bites are as nourishing as they are delicious. They make a great afternoon pick me up or after dinner treat.

RECIPE:

2 Cups of pitted dates

1 Cup of pistachios

1/2 Cup sesame seeds

Soak the dates for three minutes in a bowl of warm water. While the dates are soaking toss the pistachios in the food processor. Pulse several times until the nuts are in small pieces but not completely pulverized. Remove the nuts from the food processor. Pour off the water from the dates. Place the dates into the processor and puree until you have a paste like consistency. Remove dates from the processor and place into a medium bowl. Mix in the pistachio pieces into the date paste with your hands. Pour the sesame seeds into a small dish. Roll the date pistachio mixture into small balls in the palm of your hand. Roll the balls in the seeds until covered.

Chay'lin is the Co-Founder of the soon to launch skincare line PURA, as well as a Yoga Instructor. She finds comfort in living a health driven lifestyle & contributing to her community through various outlets. Her passion for skincare began while acting as a Spa Director for an award winning spa in the U.S. Virgins. Through her travels and exploration of DIY skincare she discovered the importance of using organically sourced ingredients. In 2012, she moved to the farm friendly island of Martha's Vineyard. Her connection with locally sourced ingredients only furthered her passion to create & explore new products. Her advice is to 'remain playful with your skin care regimen & explore what works best for you!'

As snow envelopes the East Coast, luscious winter citrus from the West Coast brightens even the darkest days of winter. This triple citrus blend, packed with cayenne and bee pollen is my go-to for chilly mornings. It bolsters the immune system and aids in digestion. Cara cara oranges with their sweeter taste and pinkish-orange flesh differentiate these beauties from your average juicing orange. Ruby-red grapefruit balance the sweetness with their slight bitterness, while lemons add a note of brightness. Cayenne heats things up, fights inflammation and stimulates the digestive tract, aiding the body in metabolizing food and detoxifying itself. Bee pollen, which is one of nature's most nutritionally diverse foods, contains approximately 40 percent protein (more than any animal source). It's good for intestinal flora which supports the immune system. Additionally, its high levels of antioxidants prevent premature aging, stimulate the growth of new skin tissues and protects against dehydration, making it a bonafide beauty food! Take one sip and you'll be hooked!

RECIPE:2 Grapefruits2 Cara Cara oranges2 Lemons1 Tablespoon bee pollen1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder or to tasteCombine the cayenne and beep pollen with two tablespoons of warm water.Stir until both are dissolved. Juice the citrus and combine.